BRS launches HGV Taskforce
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• The first BRS HGV temporary driver agency is now up and running, prior to the official launch of a national network early next year About 25 temporary drivers will be employed at each participating depot.
Managers of at least four depots in BRS's Western area are offering clients a driver service called Taskforce, with up to six more Western depots due to come on stream with Taskforce over the next 18 months.
Chris Harlow, who has been appointed as Taskforce product manager at BRS's HQ, will not comment on the temping ring "until we get it all in place". He does, however, say that Scotland will not immediately be included in the Taskforce network, but will be brought on stream "at a later date".
The drivers, all of whom are trained at BRS's own training schools, are full-time employees who are entitled to take part in the employee share-ownership scheme. They will be on two-year contracts, by which BRS aims to prevent driver-poaching by other companies. BRS is training drivers for all classes up to HGV1 and is looking for "very good 7.5 tonne drivers to bring through to Class 1".
Trainees go through a five or 15-day course depending on experience at a cost of around £65 per driver per day, which is paid for by the company.
After training, drivers are restricted to BRS HGVs for six months before driving clients' artics, but will be allowed to drive smaller vehicles for customers straight away.
All Taskforce drivers are uniformed and offer clients a job report sheet for completion confidentially by both customer and driver.
BRS charges £7.35 an hour for a Class 1 driver and £7.15 for a Class 3. "We are dear," says BRS, but the company hopes to pick up its business from offering a quality service.
BRS depots offering Taskforce drivers so far include Oxford, West Bromwich, Basingstoke and Swindon.
El BRS has won a seven-year distribution contract with the Gloucestershire and Severnside Co-op society, worth £600,000 a year, to service 11 stores. The contract will initially use 16 staff and five vehicles, but these levels will increase as BRS takes on another 32 stores by spring 1990.